Special Education Needs and Disability (SIG SEND)

COVERAGE:

This group concerns special educational needs across all educational provision. It aims to support teachers and lecturers by providing ideas, resources, knowledge and understanding of the field, including mentoring opportunities, experience exchange on training, trials of new ideas emerging from recent research projects. For more detail contact SIG Lead.

MODE OF WORKING:

Open to all in the Company with an interest or expertise to offer, and external specialists by invitation. The SIG has a programme of presentations, discussions and activities with opportunities for debate with experts in the delivery and policy of special educational needs and disability. Contact is by e-mail and there are termly meetings currently on Zoom. 

SIG LEAD: Helen Simon               sigsend@co-educators.com

If you are interested in joining this SIG or receiving more information about it, please contact the SIG Lead above or the SIG Co-ordinator sigscoordinator@co-educators.com

 ACTIVITIES:

See Company Calendar  for activities in the current year, with further zoom events planned for 2022. Presently the SIG SEND is exploring the theme of “Digital Learning”. 

PREVIOUS EVENTS:

Recent events have been combined with the Education Committee seminars on the theme on “Bridging the Attainment Gap” looking at the distance between aspirations and reality for some of the most educationally vulnerable children and young people. 

Wednesday, 2 March 2022, at 6pm-7.30pm, via Zoom
Careers Guidance and Labour Market Intelligence – focusing on students with special educational needs.

Part of the 2022 series of presentations examining the importance of careers information and guidance. The speakers were Oliver Jenkin, careers advisor and journalist and Maureen Duncan, Head Teacher of Brook Special Primary School.   With SIG-CIG – Careers Information & Guidance

10th November 2020 at 16.00 with Liveryman Chris Jay, Founder and Managing Director of Bascule Disability Training, presenting the final talk in the series via Zoom. In an interactive session Chris examined the vital issue of understanding of people with disabilities in society and in the workplace in particular under the heading “Bridging the knowledge gap – how to have positive conversations with people with disabilities. This was followed by feedback session with the previous presenters in the series.

21st October 2020 at 16.00 with Graham and Maureen Duncan, presenting on Has education for disabled people lost its ‘why’? via Zoom with questions and discussion.

22 September 2020 at 16.00 with Helen Simon and Cadi Dearing on Quality Teaching – via Zoom with questions and discussion.

26 February 2020 – Session led by Margaret Mulholland the first the series “Bridging the Attainment Gap” titled “Built In, not Bolt On” – Inclusive Thinking; Inclusive Teaching.

RESOURCES, REPORTS and ON GOING PROJECTS:           

Available from SIG Lead on request.

OTHER INFORMATION:

In 2017, the Educators Trust gave that year’s Awards for inspirational teachers to specialists in Special Educational Needs. There were cases shown of some exceptional examples of dedication and innovation – namely:

Neil Beck – National Star College;  Tania Brooks – Inscape House School;    Jean Bankhead – St Rose’s, Stroud; Diana Deacon – Prior’s Court School;   Helen Dunman – Chailey Heritage School; Jan Durrant – St Joseph’s Specialist School and College;  Cathy Riggs – Helen Allison School; and  Penny Whittall – RNIB Pears Centre.